According to legend, Bodhidharma transmitted Chán 禪 Buddhism to the Shàolín 少林 monks, and taught them some physical exercises that would later develop into Kung Fu. However, the available historical records are not exactly in line with this belief…
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The Tea Horse Road or Chá Mǎ Dào 茶馬道 was a trade route that linked the Chinese province of Yunnan 雲南 with Tibet. For more than a thousand years, tea coming from China was exchanged for Tibetan horses, apart of many other products.
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Calligraphy (書法 shūfǎ) is, along with ink painting, with which it is closely related, one of the most practiced ancient arts in China. Scholars, poets and painters were often great calligraphers. This art is regarded not only as an aesthetic form of writing but also as a way to cultivate one’s own character and to develop gōng fu 功夫.
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Within Buddhism, Guan Yin 觀音 is the Chinese name of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. His figure has undergone a unique transformation, and it is a great example of how Buddhism, a foreign religion, became so deeply rooted in people’s minds, to the point of becoming authentically Chinese.
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The Theory of the Five Phases (Wǔ Xíng 五行) or Five Processes, sometimes called of the Five Elements, appeared during the Zhou 周 Dynasty, possibly as a way of representing seasonal changes that affected agricultural production, and underwent some important changes throughout history.
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Bodhidharma, known in China as Pútídámó 菩提達摩 or Dámó 達摩, was an Indian monk who came to China in the 6th century, and is usually considered as the founder of Kung Fu and Chán 禪 Buddhism.
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Yuèyá chǎn 月牙铲 (Crescent Moon Shovel) or “Monk Spade” is one of the classic Shaolin weapons which was later inherited by our style. Its origin is quite odd, for it is related to the funerary services performed by wandering monks.
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Emotions play an important role in our lives, to the point that they determine our character and what kind of person we become. However, we know little about them and we are not always aware of what we are feeling. Knowing our emotions means knowing ourselves better.
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It is likely that on more than one occasion we have encountered the image of a fat, smiling and good-natured Buddha, present either in Buddhist temples, restaurants or any other Chinese establishments. This character, whom many people take for the Buddha, is actually Bùdài 布袋, a Chan 禪 monk of the 10th century whose life was somehow eccentric.
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Many legends attribute the origin of Kung Fu to the Shàolín monastery 少林寺. However, long before the construction of this temple, a long martial tradition already existed in China, which has been, in some way, obscured by the fame of the monks.
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